Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD

Ain't no way a starter level record player, can even beat cheap digital; or why else would millions of people chuck their mid fi turntables, and sell or give away records?

Ain't no way a starter level record player, can even beat cheap digital; or why else would millions of people chuck their mid fi turntables, and sell or give away records?

Because CD was the next BIG thing and "people" generally are stupid and sheep! It was space age, it was new, it was easy, it was convenient.
SQ was not part of the reasoning for the vast unwashed.

Rant over...lol

It really depends on what one considers as a "starter system;" at really low prices, digital players are vastly superior to cheap vinyl rigs which not only sound terrible, but also risk damaging records.  But, improvements as one moves up the price/quality curve for digital gear is less dramatic than is the case with phono gear.  The OP is placed quite far from "starter" with both setups.  

I would recommend that the OP first look into loading issues, and perhaps VTA--both are common sources of problems with shut in top end.  Excessive loading (too LOW a value for the resistance) and too low VTA, can cause this sort of problems.

Once performance is optimize, it might well be the case that the OP still favors the digital rig, probably because that sound is more familiar to the OP.  It may take some time, but, with setup optimized, the virtues of the vinyl sound may become more evident.  This is sort of a learning process and familiarity is important.  

I personally think both digital and vinyl setups can deliver great performance and I will not take sides in any sort of religious war.  I think there are far bigger differences when making other sort of audio choices: high power vs. low power amps, solid state vs. tube, electrostatic vs. dynamic drivers, planar vs. point source, and so on.

I've been listening to records since I was born, 78's; there is nothing special about a record until you add "expensive" high end hardware.

I hope young people who are deceived into believing that there is something special about a record with that "starter crap" can afford high end analog, otherwise they've wasted their money.

Yes, the OP is far from starter; he's so close, all he needs is some professional help that will steer him into the necessary changes.